I know there's a lot of information about these pickups here, but much of it is dated, and it's difficult to find certain comparisons. So I thought it would be interesting to post a poll.
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Double Bass Poll: Inexpensive Pickups for Jazz (Goal: MBOL)
- Thread starter vanderbrook
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- inexpensive jazz bass pickups
For your goal (MBOL, inexpensive) the Japanese MSP is missing.
And people can only decide about what they know. I doubt you would get anything meaningful unless people have the chance to compare all these pickups themselves.
You might get a result what people know and like best out of their experience, but that doesn't need to be the best pickup but the best known pickup.
And people can only decide about what they know. I doubt you would get anything meaningful unless people have the chance to compare all these pickups themselves.
You might get a result what people know and like best out of their experience, but that doesn't need to be the best pickup but the best known pickup.
I have one of these in the drawer. Haven't used it yet, but $60 for a handmade piezo is definitely inexpensive.
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Hello.. In terms of "inexpensive" You should consider the shadow sh950 and sh951.. It is the cheapest of all the mentioned pickups above.. i get really good results with the 950 on my bass.. Better results than with realist copper, schertler stat b or fishman bp 100.. Btw.. This could be interesting:
Interesting ...but tough to find reviews on, much less comparisons against the other contenders.
Guess I'll just have to try to get as near to the mark as possible, since an Ehrlund is out of the question.
Yes... will likely use a cheap mic at rehearsals with my guitarist, but playing in a trio with a drummer ...probably not an option.
I'll look into this option, and maybe add it to the list. Thanks.
Ok, the MSP is a contact pickup on the top so even without hearing it, and from comments in other threads about it, I would venture that it will get you closest to the MBOL sound. However, volume may be limited with it, so your guitar/bass/drum trio, if loud, may exceed its capabilities.
I go back as far as the Polytone pickup, and have tried pretty much everything that has come out since then, with the exception of Wilson, Barbera, and others that require drilling into and other alterations of the bridge. In my experience, they're all going to sound like pickups. Period. You can get close to "MBOL", but at a certain point you realize that acoustic bass and amplified acoustic bass are two different instruments. That said, I like both the Full Circle and the realist Lifeline. They have both worked well on my double bass and on my Merchant Vertical Bass. I tried the Lifeline on my double bass (Schnitzer #34) simply because I got tired of looking at the white wire on the FC, and liked the sound a bit better. With the FDeck HPF, I can get a decent sound out of just about any amp. It works even better on the MVB, as there is no body resonance to interfere and create feedback.
The above are my opinions based on my experience only. YMMV.
The above are my opinions based on my experience only. YMMV.
Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Based on sound clips I've listened to, I've all but ruled out the Realist and the LifeLine. The Full Circle is leading the race, and I may well go that route. I'm surprised no one has voted for the Rev Solo II; many seem to like it, and I had originally thought that would be my solution. Will probably avoid the contact mics for the challenges involved in finding just the right spot for them. Wish a mic like the AKG D112 was more practical in live performance contexts -- it sounds great, and is affordable.
That really isn't a big deal, based on my recent experience with the Ischell. It doesn't take that long or much effort to find a good spot. Check out the thread.
Thanks, but I believe the Ischell, like the Ehrlund, is beyond my fiscal grasp. Only the MSP would be an option, and I've not been convinced that I want to go that route.
When listening to sound clips, keep in mind that they are recorded direct into what ever medium is used to post them, whereas in the gigging world, the pickup in question would be coming from the player's amplifier-a totally different experience when dealing with sound and feel.
And based on your experience with both the Full Circle and The Realist Lifeline, which of those do you prefer in the 'real world' of playing through an amp on a gig?
I have never tried the Full Circle, but I have used my Lifeline on four different basses and have been very happy with the Gig results. That despite the fact that I don't really care for the sound of it recorded directly. That is why I think your distinction between 'direct recording' and 'gig sound through the amp' is a very important one. Bases on my experience I would encourage the OP to try the Lifeline on some gigs before deciding. Where I bought my Lifeline (wink wink) they have a 7 day audtion period. If you don't like it, send it back for a refund.
The truth, right there...
Well... I don't have any gigs scheduled in the next seven days -- actually, I don't bring the bass home until tomorrow...
I was more-or-less happy with the K&K Bass Master Pro I had on my previous, carved bass, but the options have certainly expanded since I bought that kit, and bassists' expectations along with them. All I can do, other than solicit and digest others' opinions, is listen to sound clips. The best are the Youtube clips that A/B one against another. Such a clip suggested I would prefer the Full Circle to the Realist -- and another suggested marked similarity between the Realist and the LifeLine. I would love to find an A/B clip comparing the Full Circle to the Rev Solo, but so far that hasn't happened.
I prefer the Lifeline. Through an amp, it sounds enough like an acoustic bass to satisfy me, and as I said before, it's not visually annoying.
The truth is that any pickup in contact with the bridge is not MBOL, as said in the beginning, but those who sit closer to the top than the strings generally sound less artificial than those closer to the strings than the top.
Too much pressure in the bridge wing sounds compressed, the rotation angle with the Full Circle, Wilson and BassBalsereit can influence the sound a lot. Pressure and flatness of the bridge can influence the Fishman BP-100 a lot, some even glue the elements onto the bridge with epoxy.
There is a learning curve with a top mounted contact mic and I would not recommend it for a beginner in amplified double bass, but the sound is much closer to an acoustic double bass. If it gets loud sound is not so much an issue but feedback is, so a contact mic might not work or the bass might be too hidden behind the other instruments. In that case a pickup with more sustain and some coloration in the frequency spectrum might do the job better.
If you are willing to get two pickups (for anything you might be able to use a acoustic double bass for) get the MSP for the MBOL and the Full Circle for the louder stuff. So you almost always have a backup and choose the best one for your application without investing too much money. And you can share the preamp for both.
Maybe take the Full Circle first, but experiment with positions within an eights turn for different sound. For the MSP or any other contact pickup invest about a day or two half days for experiments and try the good advice here on Talkbass for positions of the Ehrlund, which work for the MSP as well. At least worth checking out before trying positions all over the top which might take some weeks...
Too much pressure in the bridge wing sounds compressed, the rotation angle with the Full Circle, Wilson and BassBalsereit can influence the sound a lot. Pressure and flatness of the bridge can influence the Fishman BP-100 a lot, some even glue the elements onto the bridge with epoxy.
There is a learning curve with a top mounted contact mic and I would not recommend it for a beginner in amplified double bass, but the sound is much closer to an acoustic double bass. If it gets loud sound is not so much an issue but feedback is, so a contact mic might not work or the bass might be too hidden behind the other instruments. In that case a pickup with more sustain and some coloration in the frequency spectrum might do the job better.
If you are willing to get two pickups (for anything you might be able to use a acoustic double bass for) get the MSP for the MBOL and the Full Circle for the louder stuff. So you almost always have a backup and choose the best one for your application without investing too much money. And you can share the preamp for both.
Maybe take the Full Circle first, but experiment with positions within an eights turn for different sound. For the MSP or any other contact pickup invest about a day or two half days for experiments and try the good advice here on Talkbass for positions of the Ehrlund, which work for the MSP as well. At least worth checking out before trying positions all over the top which might take some weeks...
I'm personally a fan of the AKG C411, another contact mic. It requires phantom power, but the price is really reasonable (cheaper than almost all on your list), and on my bass it sounds way better than any piezo. I've used it in big bands with no feedback or bleed issues plenty of times. It can take time to find the right spot to mount it and get the EQ where you want it.
